Police probe outsourced terror-style network targeting Jewish sites as suspect faces serious firearms charges.
A 19-year-old fugitive wanted in connection with the March 10 attack on the US Consulate in Toronto has been arrested by local authorities.
The suspect, Zara Jabbi, was taken into custody Wednesday at Toronto Pearson International Airport, ending an active police manhunt.
The case escalated further after a high-risk police operation linked to Jabbi resulted in the fatal shooting of a Toronto Police Service officer on June 11.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the consulate attack was not an isolated incident, but part of a wider pattern of shootings targeting Jewish synagogues and schools.
Investigators believe several recent attacks may be connected to an organized outsourced criminal network, in which overseas handlers recruit young people online to carry out violent acts in exchange for money and video proof.
Jabbi now faces multiple charges, including motor vehicle theft, possession of stolen property over $5,000, discharging a restricted or prohibited firearm, attacking property belonging to internationally protected persons, unauthorized firearm possession, and possession of a loaded restricted or prohibited firearm.
He remains in custody and was scheduled for a remote bail hearing Thursday.
Toronto and surrounding areas have seen a sharp rise in antisemitic violence since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. Recent incidents include shootings at synagogues, an attack on Temple Emanu-El during Purim, an attempted intrusion at an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill, and repeated vandalism targeting a Judaica store.
The arrest highlights growing concern that Jewish communities and diplomatic sites in Canada are being targeted by violent networks using local recruits for hostile operations.
